Manslaughter indictment for fatal assault at The Page Restaurant in Portsmouth

BRENTWOOD – A man police say leveled a fatal punch that killed 24-year-old Joshua Krantz during an unprovoked assault at The Page Restaurant in Portsmouth has been indicted for manslaughter, according to prosecutors.

Zachary O’Neill, 24, was indicted on the charge along with a single count of first-degree assault in connection with the fatal attack that police say was spurred by a spilled drink during the early morning hours of April 6.

O’Neill, who has been held in jail since his arrest, faces up to 18 ½ to 33 years in state prison if he is convicted by a jury on the manslaughter charge.

Krantz was found dead in his Dover apartment hours after he was hit. O’Neill was initially charged with first-degree assault.

The state Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that Krantz’s death was a homicide, caused by an acute epidural hematoma that occurred as a result of his skull being fractured.

The Page closed its doors permanently on June 21 once the city filed a petition with the state Liquor Commission to terminate the bar’s liquor license in the wake of Krantz’s death.

The corporation that operated the Page, New Adventure Entertainment, is also fighting an indictment in superior court for allegedly serving alcohol to patrons in a restricted area on the night of the attack.

The corporation could face upwards of $100,000 on each of the two charges it faces.

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